Habibullah Agha, the acting Minister of Education, spoke at the second International Forum of Education Ministers, highlighting the current state of education in Afghanistan.
Kabul 24: He emphasized that approximately 10 million students, including 3.5 million girls, are currently engaged in education in 30,000 public and private educational centers. However, he also noted that 6 million other students are deprived of education due to the lack of schools and educational materials.
Teacher Shortages and Female Representation
The acting Minister of Education also mentioned that there are approximately 300,000 teachers in elementary schools, with 30% of them being female teachers. This representation is significant, as it highlights the efforts to increase female participation in the education sector.
Importance of International Cooperation
Habibullah Agha emphasized the importance of Afghanistan’s participation in international meetings on education, stating that the education sector, like other sectors, has suffered significant damage in the past forty years.
He appealed to friendly countries to provide assistance to the people of Afghanistan, particularly in the education sector, where there is a dire need for textbooks, educational centers, teachers, and teacher salaries.
Role of Education in National Development
Zakiullah Mohammadi, a university professor, echoed the importance of education in national development. He emphasized that education is the foundation of a country and that today’s children are tomorrow’s leaders. He urged the interim government to prioritize the education sector and work towards its development.
Criticism and Controversy
The acting Minister of Education’s statistics on students and active schools have faced criticism, particularly regarding the closure of girls’ schools above the sixth grade. This issue has been a subject of internal and external controversy.
International Forum of Education Ministers
The second International Forum of Education Ministers was held on June 10-11 in Kazan, Russia, with the participation of education ministers from forty countries. The forum aimed to discuss global education challenges and share best practices in education policy and reform
